Sunday, September 6, 2026 // Pastor Steve Knight // God's Way

Devotional

Day 1: When the Door Closes, Will You Be Inside?

The floodwaters came not because God hated creation, but to reset what humanity had corrupted. Noah’s obedience built more than a boat—it built a covenant. While others mocked, he kept hammering, trusting God’s warning over clear skies. Today’s chaos demands the same urgency: truth isn’t measured by crowds but by the Creator’s word. What seems like radical obedience now will be revealed as radical mercy when storms break. [43:48]

The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make yourself an ark of gopher wood."
(Genesis 6:5,8,13-14, ESV)

Reflection: What “clear skies” in your life make it easy to delay spiritual obedience? How might preparing for God’s way today spare you tomorrow’s regret?

Day 2: Bulrushes in the Nile: Small Acts Defy Big Tyrants

A mother’s desperate pitch-coated basket carried more than a baby—it carried liberation’s blueprint. When Pharaoh demanded dead sons, Hebrew women chose life through hidden acts of courage. Their defiance wasn’t political posturing but holy resistance, trusting God’s purpose over a king’s panic. Still today, quiet faithfulness shifts empires. [50:46]

Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, “When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live.” But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live.
(Exodus 1:16-17, ESV)

Reflection: What current cultural decree requires you to choose between human approval and holy fear? Where can you coat “small” obediences with pitch against today’s floods?

Day 3: Blood on the Lid: Where Law Meets Mercy

The ark’s gold box held stone-carved demands, but its lid dripped with sacrificial blood. Cherubim gazed not at broken commandments but at the covering that made rebels into family. This mercy seat wasn’t about ignoring sin—it was about drowning it. Now Christ’s blood stains heaven’s throne, turning verdicts into embraces for those who run to the crimson stain. [55:54]

Behind the second curtain was a second section called the Most Holy Place, having the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron’s staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant. Above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat.
(Hebrews 9:3-5, ESV)

Reflection: Do you approach God fearing His clipboard or trusting His cross? What shame still feels “uncovered” that needs Christ’s mercy-seat application?

Day 4: Torn Veil, Open Road: Boldness Before the Throne

When Christ’s final breath tore the temple curtain, it exposed more than gold—it revealed a Father’s welcome. The ark’s once-hidden mercy seat became an altar accessible to ragamuffins and rejects. Now every whispered prayer pierces the Holy of Holies. Your worst failure can’t outrun the trail Christ’s blood blazed to the throne. [01:03:11]

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
(Hebrews 4:16, ESV)

Reflection: What situation makes you feel “outside the veil” today? How would standing confidently in Christ’s blood-change your approach to that struggle?

Day 5: Dry Paths in Flooded Seasons: Following the Ark Forward

Israel’s Jordan crossing didn’t require perfect faith—just feet willing to get wet behind the ark. As priests stepped into raging currents, God turned riverbeds into highways. Your impossible situation isn’t a dead end but a divine setup. Where the ark leads, chaos parts. The same Presence that split seas waits to turn your overwhelm into a testimony. [01:05:45]

Now the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, and all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan.
(Joshua 3:17, ESV)

Reflection: What “Jordan River” confronts you—something you must walk through rather than avoid? How can fixing your eyes on Christ’s leadership turn panic into purposeful steps?

Sermon Summary

Jesus declares that He is “the way, the truth, and the life,” and that word still stands through all time. God also promises in 1 Corinthians 10:13 that temptation will come, but His faithfulness will provide a way out so that His people can endure. Satan tries to convince people that there is plenty of time to get serious with God, while his real purpose is to confuse truth, divide people, magnify fear, create chaos, and offer a counterfeit answer.

The contrast between truth and loyalty exposes an open door for deception. When truth becomes less important than loyalty, people can become so committed to a side that they no longer care whether that side is true. God’s Word is the way of escape in a world that wants to feed emotions, condition choices, and pull hearts away from the fear of the Lord.

Noah’s ark shows deliverance from God’s judgment. God saw that the earth was filled with violence and that mankind’s heart was continually turned toward evil, yet Noah found grace because he followed God’s way. The ark was not merely a boat built against the opinions of the day. The ark was God’s provision for those willing to believe His warning before the door closed.

Moses’ ark shows protection from man’s pressure. Pharaoh’s decree could not change God’s truth, because the midwives feared God more than they feared the king. Moses’ mother put her child in an ark of bulrushes, and God turned a death sentence into a path of protection, purpose, and provision. God still has a way for people who feel surrounded by something bigger than they are.

The ark of the covenant reveals the place where mercy and man meet. The manna testified that God provides, Aaron’s rod testified that God brings dead things to life and makes them bear fruit, and the tablets testified to God’s authority and covenant. The law inside the ark called for judgment, but the mercy seat above it received the blood of sacrifice.

Jesus fulfills what the mercy seat pointed toward. Christ’s blood covers the sin that separates humanity from a holy God, and the torn veil opens access to the throne of grace. God did not give another ark when the fullness of time came. God gave His Son. Jesus is the way through judgment, pressure, wandering, sin, and every barrier that stands in the road.

##

Key Takeaways

1. Truth must outrank every human side [41:45] Truth cannot be reduced to whatever a favored group says is true. Satan gains ground when loyalty becomes more valuable than honesty before God. God’s Word steadies hearts when fear, outrage, and cultural pressure demand quick allegiance. [41:45]
2. God provides escape in temptation [34:38] God does not promise a life with no struggle, but He promises faithfulness in the struggle. Temptation does not have final authority over a life surrendered to Christ. God’s way of escape often begins with a heart that stays fed by His Word. [34:38]
3. Noah’s ark calls for serious faith [46:14] Noah believed God before the rain ever came. God’s warning was not cruel, because His ark stood open as a provision of grace. Faith takes God seriously even when the surrounding world calls obedience foolish. [46:14]
4. The mercy seat still stands [01:03:28] Christ’s blood does not minimize sin, because sin required the death of an innocent sacrifice. God’s holiness remains real, but God’s mercy is greater for those who come to Him. The throne of grace is open for mercy and help in time of need. [63:28]
5. Jesus ends the cycle of wandering [01:06:13] Wandering begins when people resist God’s direction and settle for casual following. The ark going before Israel through the Jordan showed that God can make a path where no path appears. Jesus remains the only way to the Father and the only sure way forward.

## [66:13]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[32:13] - Victory in Jesus
[33:42] - Jesus Is the Way
[36:13] - The Importance of God’s Way
[39:29] - Truth in a Divided World
[42:44] - Three Pictures of God’s Way
[43:09] - Noah’s Ark and Deliverance
[49:25] - Moses’ Ark and Protection
[54:53] - The Ark of the Covenant
[59:20] - Blood on the Mercy Seat
[62:41] - The Throne of Grace
[64:25] - Breaking the Cycle of Wandering
[67:02] - God Gave His Son
[84:07] - Hold Tightly to Hope

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

John 14:6
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” [33:42]

1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. [34:38]

Hebrews 4:16
Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. [01:03:48]

Genesis 6:5-8
The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I regret that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. [43:41]

Exodus 1:15-17
Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, “When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live.” But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live. [50:38]

Exodus 25:10-22
They shall make an ark of acacia wood. Two cubits and a half shall be its length, a cubit and a half its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height. You shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and outside shall you overlay it, and you shall make on it a molding of gold around it. You shall cast four rings of gold for it and put them on its four feet, two rings on the one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it. You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. And you shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark by them. The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it. And you shall put into the ark the testimony that I shall give you. You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold. Two cubits and a half shall be its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth. And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work shall you make them, on the two ends of the mercy seat. Make one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end. Of one piece with the mercy seat shall you make the cherubim on its two ends. The cherubim shall spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be. And you shall put the mercy seat on the top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I shall give you. There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel. [59:11]

Observation questions

In John 14:6, what three words does Jesus use to describe Himself, and what does He say about coming to the Father?
According to 1 Corinthians 10:13, what does God promise to provide when temptation comes, and what is the purpose of that way of escape? [34:38]
What contrast is seen in Genesis 6:5-8 between the condition of mankind’s heart and Noah’s relationship with the Lord? [44:18]
What did the midwives do differently from Pharaoh’s command, and what reason does Exodus give for their decision? [50:38]

Interpretation questions

Jesus is not presented as one possible way among many, but as the way, the truth, and the life. How does this shape the way believers should respond when the world offers attractive answers that do not agree with God’s Word? [42:19]
God’s way of escape in temptation does not always mean immediate removal from the struggle; it enables endurance. What might God’s escape look like in a believer’s everyday choices, relationships, thought life, and use of time? [39:49]
Noah found grace and obeyed God before there was any visible evidence of the flood. What does Noah’s example reveal about taking God’s warnings and directions seriously when obedience seems foolish to others? [47:27]
The law inside the ark showed humanity’s guilt, while the mercy seat received the blood of sacrifice. How does this picture help believers understand both the seriousness of sin and the mercy available through Jesus? [01:01:01]

Application questions

Where are you most tempted to let loyalty to a group, a political side, a news source, or even personal opinion matter more than truth? What would it look like to bring that area back under God’s Word? [41:36]
What temptation, pressure, fear, or repeated struggle do you need to face this week? What specific “way of escape” might God be placing before you—Scripture, prayer, accountability, stepping away, confession, or a different choice? [35:44]
Noah acted on God’s warning before the rain came. Is there an area where you know God is calling you to obey now rather than waiting until circumstances force the issue? [46:01]
The midwives feared God more than Pharaoh. When have you felt pressure to stay quiet, compromise, or follow what is popular instead of what is right? What would faithful obedience look like in that situation? [51:30]
Moses’ mother placed him in an ark when the danger around her was bigger than she could control. What burden in your life feels bigger than you right now, and how can you actively place it in God’s care instead of carrying it alone? [54:03]
Because Jesus has opened the way to the throne of grace, you can come to God for mercy and help. Is there any sin, shame, failure, or need that has made you hold back from prayer? What would it mean to come boldly to Him this week? [01:03:40]
Wandering often begins when following Jesus becomes casual. What simple practice could help you follow Him more closely this week—daily time in the Word, prayer before decisions, gathering with believers, or obedience in one clear area? [01:04:37]

Sermon Clips

74s

“I wanna close with a couple of takeaways today. The first one is this, know that there is still a mercy seat. See, something happened when Christ was on the cross. When he took his last breath. I don't know about you, but I just sort of think that the finger of god come down and started at the top of that veil and has come all the way through it and it split in two. And what was exposed was the ark of the covenant. And the blood that Jesus shed on the cross, it covered the mercy seat. See, no longer do we have to go to some priest for access, but we can approach the throne room today. Hallelujah. See, Jesus is the supreme sacrifice. And when you and I ask for forgiveness, god don't see our sins and our mess. When the blood has covered you, god sees the blood.”

60s

“In conclusion, god has made a way. And when judgment came, god made an ark. So don't get caught up in the judgment. Get caught up in God's way. And when pharaoh brought death, God made an ark. And when sin separated man from a holy God, God provided a mercy seat. And when the fullness of time had come, god didn't give us another ark. He gave us his son. Jesus is the way. Yes. Lord, thank you for your word, what it means to us.”

43s

“the Lord Jesus Christ has truth that we need in our life. Let me say this to you. I'm gonna read this line so I can get it exactly right. When truth becomes less important than loyalty, deception has found an open door. That's why we must be in the truth of the word. Satan's goal is not simply to get people to hate god. His strategy is to confuse truth, divide people, magnify fear, create chaos, and eventually present a counterfeit answer to the world's problems.”

Ask a question about this sermon

Easley Church of God This sermon · AI assistant

What do the three arks represent?

How does the mercy seat relate to forgiveness?

Why must Christians prioritize truth over loyalty?

Sunday, September 6, 2026 // Pastor Steve Knight // God's Way - Three Arks